Mourning a Little Princess with Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte
The Listen Guide
Pavane pour une infante défunte, M. 19
I'm Maurice Ravel, and this is the listen guide to my Pavane pour une infante défunte. You'll learn to follow how the opening melody keeps leaving and coming back, so that this slow, gentle piece always feels like a path you already know. Once you've listened, head over to the Trainer , where my fellow composers and I teach you to recognize our pieces the moment you hear them.
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How to Listen Without a Music Degree
Think of the orchestral version as a small group of friends, with the strings as the floor everyone stands on and the harp as the soft sparkle that now and then lights up the room. Besides the horn, I wrote for flutes, an oboe, clarinets, bassoons and that harp, and you don't have to name them, because it's enough to notice how the colour of the sound keeps changing. Don't wait for fireworks, since the music is slow and gentle, and the pleasure lies in small things like a familiar tune coming back dressed a little differently. Close your eyes if you like, and count how many times the opening melody comes home, because I'll tell you the answer in a moment.A Very Grand Name for a Very Quiet Piece
I called it an evocation of a pavane that a little princess might have danced at the Spanish court, and that picture really was all I had in mind. Some people link it to the Infanta Margarita in Velázquez's Las Meninas, but I never named a painting, so that is guesswork. What I can tell you for certain is that I dedicated the piano piece to my patron, the Princesse de Polignac, so there was a real princess somewhere in the story. So I'd picture a stately little parade rather than a sad farewell, and let the music walk at its own dignified pace.Seven Slices of One Small Cake
Choosing the form felt like an adventure, and I ended up with a rondo, where one main tune keeps returning between other ideas. The pattern runs A, B, B1, A1, C, C1, A2, which means the opening tune shows up three times and you can count them as we go. In the piano version the whole thing is a single movement of only 72 bars, so every section is short and the changes come quickly, even though the pace stays slow. In 1912 I judged the form rather poor, but I'll let you decide for yourself while we walk through the seven sections one by one.Section 1: The Princess Makes Her Entrance
Section 1 is the A theme, the melody you'll probably be humming for the rest of the day. It sits in G major at that unhurried Lent pace, and the horn sings it in the orchestral version. Underneath, the accompaniment is steady and soft, so nothing distracts you from the tune. Treat this as home base, because everything that follows is a short trip away from it.Section 2: The Plot Thickens, Very Slowly
Section 2 is B, a new idea that arrives without any fuss and feels a little warmer and more flowing than the opening. The tempo doesn't change, so the mood shifts through colour and shape of the melody rather than through speed. I wanted it to feel like a second thought, offered quietly by someone who isn't sure you were listening. Notice how easily you settle into it, because the music never asks for your attention in a loud voice.Section 3: Same Idea, Different Hat
Section 3 is B1, which takes the idea from Section 2 and presents it again with some small changes. You may feel that you've heard it before, and that is exactly the point, because a familiar idea in new clothes is the heart of this piece. Try to spot what has changed, whether it's the height of the melody, the fullness of the sound or the way the line leans into its ending. The mood grows a little deeper here, as if the same thought were being turned over once more.Section 4: Welcome Back, Old Friend
Section 4 is A1, and the opening melody returns like a face you've been hoping to see again. That was the moment when many listeners fell for it, even though the piece attracted little attention when it first appeared. Ricardo Viñes played the piano premiere in 1902, and it later became very popular, which I like to think was this tune quietly doing its work. Enjoy the comfort of the return, but listen closely, because it isn't an exact copy of the first time.Section 5: A Stranger Joins the Party
Section 5 is C, and it brings material that's truly new, so this is where I step furthest from the opening tune. The melody feels a bit more lyrical and searching, and the sound opens up as though a window had been left ajar. The slow pace still holds, so the contrast comes from the character of the music and not from speed. Let yourself be curious about where it's heading, because I'm only borrowing you for a few moments before the main tune is called back.Section 6: The Stranger Stays for a Second Round
Section 6 is C1, which revisits the new idea from Section 5 and gives it a slightly different shape. Here I let the feeling build gently, so the music seems to lean forward without ever losing its poise. It's the most emotional stretch of the piece, and the calm surface makes the feeling underneath even easier to notice. When it begins to settle, you'll sense that the main melody is waiting just around the corner.Section 7: The Long Goodbye at the Palace Door
Section 7 is A2, the third and last return of the opening melody, and it brings the piece to a quiet close. It feels like leaving a place you've grown fond of, with one last look back before the door closes softly. When the orchestral version was first played in Manchester in 1911, conducted by Henry Wood, the critic Samuel Langford called it "most beautiful". I couldn't have asked for a kinder verdict on those last few moments.Your Turn: Press Play and Take Your Time
Now it's your turn to hear the Pavane pour une infante défunte for yourself, so press play and let the music carry you. While it plays, you might remember our seven sections and see whether you can spot each return of the opening tune. I always felt that much of the piece's success belonged to the musicians who played it so well, and I hope your recording does it justice. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.---
I hope you enjoyed getting to know my Pavane pour une infante défunte through this listen guide. Did you find something in it that made you want to hear the piece again? I'd like to think the music rewards a second listening, because a slow piece like this one keeps showing you small details you missed the first time. There's still a good deal more to discover about my Pavane pour une infante défunte. Some of it is the story of how a piece I later judged rather harshly became one of my best-loved works, and some of it is the many ways other musicians have borrowed it since. If you're curious, click on the links on this page to keep exploring. Whenever you come back to the Pavane, I hope you hear it a little differently, and I hope that quiet horn keeps you company for a long time.